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New Constitution for Tunisia – Motor for Democracy and Employment? A Role Model for the Arab World? What are the implications for the European Transformation Partnership?

War, conflict, and crisis define our picture of the Arabellion.

In this sense, an Arab constitution that guarantees the right to work, to water and to education appears to be news from another world.

Beyond violent upheavals and conflicts from Syria to Egypt the Tunisian people approved their new constitution in unity and with the support of all political parties, appointed a transition government and will soon have parliamentary and presidential elections.

A role model for the Arab World? Is Tunisia on its way towards being a functioning democracy? Starting signal for the desired economic boost? Who can create new job opportunities and avoid social tensions?

We invite you most cordially to discuss these and related issues with a set of experts from Tunisia and the EU:

Two members of the Tunisian National Constituent Assembly will deliver first-hand answers: the advocate Zied Ladhari (Islamic Ennahda-Party) and the economist Moncef Cheikh-Rouhou (oppositional Democratic Alliance). As well as Ramzi El-Fekih a young Tunisian entrepreneur and a representative of the Tunisian Trade Union.

As the European Transformation Partnership is a substantial contribution to support the democratic transition and the development of social market economies, our debates will be enriched by Bernardino Leon, the EU Special Representative for the Southern Mediterranean and Michael Köhler, the director for the European neighbourhood at Europe Aid.

As host, the forth-coming new director of the Bertelsmann Stiftung office in Brussels, Henning vom Stein, will welcome you.

Chair of the panel discussion is the Middle-East expert of the Bertelsmann Foundation, Christian-P. Hanelt.

The event will be held in English.

The panel discussion will take place on Monday March 17th, 2014 from 18:00 to 20:00, room Maelbeek at the Residence Palace.

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This panel debate (13:30-15:30) will explore how investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms (ISDS) within investment and trade agreements can have a potentially harmful impact on access to medicines and tobacco control measures.